Buffy The Vampire Slayer remains one of the most beloved TV shows in popular culture and features some of the most iconic couples from the 90s. Buffy Summers herself was a feminist icon, a character who fell in love and fell out of it, growing into her power as the Slayer as the series progressed.
The characters of the Buffyverse are beloved by fans, and their romantic arcs have inspired countless fanfics and forum discussions. Some relationships have been divisive, with Buffy and Spike’s epic romance being particularly controversial, whereas others have been undeniable matches made in heaven. Here are five couples from Buffy The Vampire Slayer who are perfect for each other and five who make no sense.
Perfect: Spike & Drusilla
Spike and Drusilla arrived in Sunnydale during the second season of Buffy The Vampire Slayer as the vampiric Bonnie and Clyde. Before Spike’s redemption arc he was a definite bad guy, and he and Drusilla suited each other in terms of deranged devotion.
Spike was besotted with his sire Drusilla and both matched each other in terms of their disregard for human life. Luckily, Spike was redeemed throughout the series, winning back his soul in season seven.
Made No Sense: Buffy & Riley
Riley was Buffy’s squeeze in seasons four and five and met the Slayer at college whilst hiding his own double life as a member of the Initiative. Buffy and Riley lacked the chemistry of her other relationships with Angel and Spike and were one of the show’s more boring couples.
Riley represented a degree of normalcy that a part of Buffy wanted. However, as she began to reconnect with her spiritual heritage as the Slayer in season five, she and Riley emotionally drifted apart.
Perfect: Giles & Jenny
Giles and Jenny were one of the show’s most adorable couples, and it was heartening to see the Watcher so happy and in love. This only made their tragic fate that much worse, as Angelus murdered Jenny after she had discovered a way to recurse him with his soul, leaving her body in Giles’ bed for the grief-stricken librarian to find.
Regardless of their awful fate, Giles and Jenny were one of Buffy’s most perfect couples. They complimented and challenged each other, and there was no doubt that they cared about each other deeply.
Made No Sense: Cordelia & Xander
The mismatched personalities of Xander and Cordelia were a running gag throughout their relationship, but unfortunately, it signaled that their love was never going to last. Both characters were too different, and Xander still harbored feelings for Buffy and Willow that drove the couple apart.
This worked out well for both characters though. Cordelia was a valuable addition to Angel and grew as a person whilst living in Los Angeles, and Xander was free to pursue love with Anya.
Perfect: Xander & Anya
Xander and Anya shared much more chemistry than his other relationships, and both characters grew exponentially while they were together. Xander helped his former demonic girlfriend embrace her humanity, and in turn, fell in love with her quirky ways.
Sadly, Xander and Anya’s love was also doomed. The two characters faced many struggles and nearly married in season six’s “Hells Bells,” before Anya’s death in the final battle against the First Evil.
Made No Sense: Xander & Faith
Xander and Faith were as mismatched as Xander and Cordelia, though this didn’t prevent them from having a brief fling in season three. Both characters are dramatically different, however, and any romance between them was fleeting.
Xander loses his virginity to Faith in “The Zeppo,” though he finds the experience lacking due to a lack of emotional investment on Faith’s part. The two become grudging allies again in the final season when they battle the First Evil.
Perfect: Willow & Tara
Willow and Tara were one of Buffy’s most iconic and adorable couples. The two witches came together in season four and gradually fell in love, sharing some of the show’s most loving and emotional scenes.
Unfortunately, they are another doomed couple. Tara was shot by Warren in season six’s “Seeing Red,” which prompted Willow’s transition to Dark Willow as she absorbed dark magic and killed Warren in vengeance.
Made No Sense: Willow & Kennedy
Perhaps it was because this pairing had a lot to live up to following Willow’s relationship with Tara, but Willow and Kennedy lacked chemistry and often felt forced. Kennedy was more aggressive and outspoken than Tara, and she and Willow were mismatched.
Willow’s relationship with Kennedy didn’t appear to progress naturally, and it felt as though the two characters were put together to reaffirm that Willow was still gay. Kennedy’s character is divisive amongst Buffy fans, many of whom resent her for replacing Tara.
Perfect: Buffy & Angel
Buffy and Angel’s romance was the original love story of the show. Angel made his first appearance in the pilot episode as a mysterious figure who warns Buffy of impending danger, and the two slowly fall in love as the series progresses.
Buffy and Angel’s relationship could never have lasted, with Angel being a vampire and Buffy a Slayer. However, he was Buffy’s first (and possibly true) love, and their relationship was instrumental in their character arcs.
Made No Sense: Spike & Harmony
Harmony was Spike’s rebound after the vampire’s relationship with Drusilla imploded. Like Xander and Cordelia, both characters were hilariously mismatched, and their ’love’ was a brief fling born from convenience that was never going to last.
Harmony invested more emotion into this pairing, as a vulnerable newly turned vampire struggling to find her feet in Sunnydale. Her character may have begun as a shallow and mean crony of Cordelia’s and become a semi-antagonist for Buffy and the gang, but her emancipation from Spike was oddly liberating.
